A shocking change in the country’s longest-running noontime show, Eat Bulaga! is apparently about to happen in the following days.
According to some reliable sources, the noontime trio Tito, Vic, and Joey, along with almost all of its Dabarkads hosts will soon bid goodbye to the noontime show after Zamboanga Cong. Romeo Jalosjos reportedly wanted TAPE Inc. President Antonio P. Tuviera (APT) out of Eat Bulaga!
Jalosjos is allegedly forcing Tuviera out of the noontime show by buying out his shares in TAPE Inc. Tuviera has been producing the noontime show since its inception in 1979.
Meanwhile, according to an article by Politiko, published on Friday, March 3, Jalosjos wanted to retain Wally Bayola, Jose Manalo, and Allan K as the new main hosts of the noontime show.
Tito, Vic, and Joey, on the other hand, have also met with the three younger comedians to join them in a new show with a tentative title, Dabarkads, if ever Tuviera’s exit pushes through.
Bayola, Manalo, and Allan K are said to be non-committal to Jalosjos’s offer to stay in Eat Bulaga!
Currently, Tito, Vic, and Joey have their solo shows on Net25, which might be the new home Network of Eat Bulaga! if ever the Jalosjos buyout will push through.
Entertainment columnist Cristy Fermin also talked about the issue in an episode of her Cristy Ferminute show on One PH on Tuesday, March 2.
According to Fermin, the internal conflict within TAPE Inc. has been going on for some time, but this might be the last straw.
About the hosts, Fermin is certain that with Eat Bulaga!’s long history, loyalty will play a big role in the outcome. According to her, she is certain that if Tuviera is booted out, all the hosts, especially TVJ, will follow since they were there with APT from the very start of the show.
She also cautioned those Dabarkads who are thinking of staying to be prepared for the bashers because loyalty is a very big deal for the fans.
Eat Bulaga! has already etched its mark in Philippine pop culture by being the longest-running noontime show in the Philippines, running for 44 years now.
It has gone through several challenges when it changed networks from RPN 9 (1979–1989) to ABS-CBN (1989–1995) and GMA Network (1995–present).
But with this looming change, can Eat Bulaga! continue to withstand the test of time? Or will this be the end of an era for the country’s noontime television?
Let’s see how this story unfolds in the coming days.
